‘IIT Mandi to start session from this year’

Shimla, Feb 3 (IANS) The first session of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), which will be set up in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district, will start this year, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Tuesday said.”From this session, the IIT would start holding classes,” Dhumal told reporters at Dharamsala.

He said the central government had sent a communication to the state government in this regard.

“We (the state government) have received an official intimation from the human resource development ministry regarding starting the classes,” he said.

“The government will provide all facilities to start an IIT at a temporary location till necessary infrastructure has been created,” he said.

The government has already identified a piece of land at Kamand village near Mandi town for setting up the institute.

The IIT would admit students in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science and engineering streams. The central government has sanctioned 40 seats in each stream.

Initially, IIT-Roorkee director S.C. Saxena has been given the additional charge of IIT-Mandi.

The decision to establish an IIT in Himachal was announced by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram while addressing a rally in Shimla on Oct 2, 2007. He also announced the opening of a central university in the hill state.